Sweet Child of Mine
by Gabriel Nichole
Summary: Goku wanted excitment, so he asked for it. And thanks to a meddling Merciful Goddess, he got it. Oh boy, did he get it! 'Damnit, I asked for excitment, not a baby' Goku SaiyukiNaruto Crossover AU An Extreme twist on Fanfiction crossovers everywhere
1. Goku's Prayer

Kat: Kat here! This idea came to me after reading a bunch of fanfictions by NellySama. I've been wanting to write a Saiyuki-Naruto for a while now, and the idea that gave me just brought it all together.  
Ame: You're twisted. How COULD you do that?!  
Kat: Iunno...I just did. So read as I put a HUGE twist on normal crossovers everywhere with my twisted brand of entertainment. Enjoy!

**Disclaimers: I don't own naruto, or Saiyuki...though I wish I did...Oh i wish i did...Oh Goku...  
Pairings: Uh...havn't decided yet.  
Summary: Goku wanted excitment, so he asked for it. And thanks to a meddling Merciful Goddess, he got it. Oh boy, did he get it! 'Damnit, I asked for excitment, not a baby!!' [Goku**

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**Sweet Child of Mine**

Goku was walking through a forest, looking for something to eat. They were camping out again, and Goku had been assigned the task of getting food. Gojyo had been assigned the task of getting wood, so he had originally started off with him, but somewhere along the way they had gotten separated.

Goku had been so BORED lately…he couldn't wait till they were attacked again, at least that would break some of the monotony of daily life. He didn't know why he was feeling this way…he just was. He let out a deep sigh, then looked up at the sky.

"Hey, god's up there! I'm supposed to pray to you when I want something right? Well I'm really bored down here! Can you send something -ANYTHING- to make things more interesting? _Please?_ If you don't I'll be dead from boredom by the time we get to Houtou Castle, then I won't be any help in stopping that Gyumaoh guy's resurrection!" he called. Then, shoving his hands in his pockets, he continued walking.

---

Kanzeon Bosatsu sat on the armchair of Nataku's throne, gazing into the pond and smiling. She turned and smiled at Nataku.

"Well, Nataku?," she asked the comatose child, sitting blankly in his throne staring out at the pond, observing. "Do you think I should? After all, we CAN'T have our poor Goku bored to death, now can we?" Nataku sat deathly silent and motionless, like always. Kanzeon smiled.

"Alright then! Have it your way! We'll spice things up for the little monkey!" she exclaimed, clapping her hands together. She stood up, and walked over to the edge of the pond, and satisfied with her imaginary conversation with Nataku, did a stunning job of stirring things up in the Lower World. When she was done, she went back to sit on the side of Nataku's throne again. She winked at the comatose boy.

"Now, gods AREN'T supposed to meddle with the Lower World…so let's keep this between us, alright?" she asked. Nataku said nothing. Kanzeon smiled.

"I thought so."

---

Goku had found bunch's of fruits and berries in the forest, having shoved them in a bag, was walking back to camp. That's when he heard the crying. It was soft at first, Goku barley heard it. Then it grew slowly louder and mixed in Goku's sense's with the smell of blood and tears. It was loud, shameless sobbing coming from a bush at the foot of a hill. Goku drew closer to it cautiously, wondering if it were a trap.

The sobbing grew louder, and more desperate. Goku couldn't help but let his suspicion ebb away in favor of pity and worry towards whatever was making this despairing sound. He crept closer and closer till he was upon the bush, the sound of the pained and frightened cries enveloping his ears, and the smell of tears, two different types of blood, and something else…though Goku couldn't place a description on that smell…overpowering his senses.

He set down his bag and summoned his Nyoi-Bo, and with careful hands he parted the bush and peered inside.

His Nyoi-Bo fell to the ground with a clatter, and Goku jerked back, a gasp of shock on his lips. He fell on his bum, staring in fascinated horror at what he had found. When he finally found control of his body again, he found himself running on autopilot, as mind wandered vaguely to the heavens above.

He found himself wondering to that place in the sky, as frantic hands removed the cape from his shoulders in the pursuit of using it to wrap up his prize, had the gods really heard his call?

Because he knew, without a doubt, he wasn't going to be bored for a while!

---

Hakkai looked up worriedly into the thicket of trees to his left.

"Sanzo, are you sure we should just leave the monkey here?" Gojyo asked, voicing Hakkai's thoughts. Sanzo had found a village nearby, and told them that they'd be leaving immediately for it. Sanzo grunted, still picking up scattered items over the ground.

"The Monkey will find his way to town, just leave him a note." he said, "Don't worry about it." Then he climbed into the jeep and motioned for Hakkai to hurry up. The emerald eyed demon sighed, and climbed into the drivers side of the jeep and started it up. Gojyo sat in the back in his usual spot, and glanced back with slight worry in his eyes.

"Hurry up, Goku…" he muttered, as they drove away.

---

Goku was following the crappy map that Gojyo had left him tacked to the tree to the nearby village. Though he was a little angry and hurt that he had been left behind, he was also a bit grateful for the lack of his attention. He held his prize close to his chest and burst through the trees and saw the opening to the village and raced through it. Then he quickly got directions from a surprised passerby and made a beeline towards the general store.

He burst through the door and ran up to the counter, gasping for breath, placing his prize on the counter. The startled store clerk stared at the thing on the counter and lets out a strangled cry of shock. Goku finally caught his breath and turned pleading eyes towards to the lady.

"Please lady, I need help! Give me a first aid kit, this baby is losing blood fast!"

**To Be Continued…**

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**Kat: Questions? Comments? Concerns? Just reveiw, and I'll what I can do!  
Ame: Sanzo's gonna kill you...**


	2. Asking Sanzo

Kat: Ok, to begin with…

Ame: OH JUST GET ON WITH IT!!!!

Kat: Eeep! Fine, yeesh!

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**Sweet Child of Mine**

**Chapter 2**

The next 20 minutes were a blur for the confused and frightened Goku. The lady had practically flew to the first aid section demanding people move out of her way, a shopper had called the local healer, and Goku had stood there, cradling the bleeding and sobbing baby to his chest.

The counter lady came back with a first aid kit and practically snatched the child from Goku, causing it to scream louder as she tried to apply medicine to stop the bleeding. Goku finally snapped out of his initial shock and reached over and began stroking the baby's hair, whispering comforting words to him. Surprisingly the child's sobs lessened, and he -it was obviously a boy- began gurgling softly, whimpering in pain every now and then.

The healer arrived soon after the lady had finished wrapping the bandages, and he fussed over the kid for a while, and did a technique that reminded Goku of Hakkai's chi healing powers, then began slowly re-wrapping his wounds. Goku's mind was still slightly numb, but he was aware enough of the cause of all the bleeding. Grotesque stabs wounds littered the boys left arm and both legs, there was a scorch mark of some kind on his stomach, as if he had been struck by lightning. Goku felt anger flare in his heart at the thought of any person, human OR demon doing that to a defenseless baby - no older than 3 years old.

After all the healing was done and he was back in Goku's arms, and Goku was assured the child would be fine, he sank to his knees, holding the child close and trembling in relief. He hadn't noticed until then…but he had been truly worried about the boy. A few shoppers came over and congratulated him, on the well being of his child, and left before Goku could even explain that the boy didn't belong to him. But Goku didn't mind, because somewhere between the forest, the town, and the healing…

Goku had bonded with the kid.

---

**Goku's Point of View**

I cradled the unnamed boy to my chest, looking around for the counter lady again. I spotted her at a sink taking an aspirin.

"Hey-Hey lady!" I exclaimed. She turned to me and smiled wearily.

"Yeah, kid? Have another baby bleeding to death somewhere?" she asked. I grinned.

"Nope! He's the only one!" I said. She smiled warmly at me.

"Good…now, what do you need?" she asked. I grinned, deciding I liked this lady. She was nice.

"Um, well, I was hoping to get a blanket…My cape is all bloody…" I said. She nodded, then turned down and isle telling me to wait. She came back a few minutes later holding a dark orange blanket with a little red toad on it.

"Cute, right? I dunno, it just seemed to fit." she explained. I took it from her, and placed the boy on the counter then spread the blanket out for him.

"You like?" I asked. The boy smiled widely, nodding vigorously. I grinned and for the first time, took a good look at the boy in front on me.

He had short blonde hair that reminded me strongly of Sanzo's, only with wilder spikes sticking out in jagged tuffs, looking like it had been cut with a hacksaw. He also had the prettiest, widest, most innocent and shiny ocean blue eyes I'd ever seen. (_'Funny, people say that about my eyes…except for the blue part…and come to think about it, people say that about my hair, too…neat, I could really pass as this kids father, or older brother!')_ He wore the remains of a black T-shirt that looked WAY to big for him, otherwise he was naked. But the most interesting part of it was the fact that he had 3 identical scratch's on each side of his tanned face, that reminded me of whiskers. The healer had tried, but I remembered him saying that they just wouldn't heal. I wondered about this vaguely, before I suddenly found himself in a VERY scary situation…

Surrounded by crooning, cooing, touchy-feely _women!_

I jumped at the sudden invasion of my personal space, and scooted forward to shield the kid from their evil looking faces…I shuddered. They looked like they were about to straight _eat_ me!

"Um…can I help you?" I asked timidly, wrapping the blanket around the boys shoulders, who saw this as an opportunity to cling to the front of my shirt happily. The all sighed blissfully watching the kid snuggle up to me.

"Aww…he's so cuuuuute!" A few gushed. I sweat dropped.

"Um, yes he is! And I need to go…" I said, turning to the counter lady. "Um, I'll come back later and pay for everything, I just need to get the money from my friend…" I explained, before picking up the kid and edging towards the door. The lady smirked in amusement, obviously enjoying my discomfort. I wrinkled my nose, then turned and RAN out of the door.

I was in front of the inn (Which was halfway across town thank-you-very-much!) in seconds, out-of-breath, clutching the kid to my chest as I tried to breath. He obviously shared the counter-lady's enjoyment of my discomfort and began to giggle. I pouted at him.

"Hey you! Not funny!" I said. He just giggled and grabbed a fistful of my hair. I tried to continue pouting, but as he tugged on my hair playfully I couldn't help but laugh. "No fair, you're too cute for your own good!" I said. I started to walk inside when I realized something.

I was holding a baby.

My cape was covered in blood.

I was _holding_ a baby.

The baby is wearing a bloody T-shirt.

I was _holding_ a **baby**.

I was attached to a baby I had just picked up in the woods.

Did I mention…I WAS HOLDING A BABY?!?!

"Oh MAN!!" I shouted. "What am I going to DO?! Sanzo's going to KILL me!" The kid looked at me.

"Guuuh?" he gurgled. I blinked, then smiled at him.

"Oh, are you worried about me?" I asked playfully, thinking he wouldn't understand. But, to my surprise, he nodded and grabbed my hair again.

"Worried…I am!" he cooed. I grinned and touched his cheek lightly.

"Man, what am I going to do? I just can't let Sanzo tell me I can't keep you…you're way to cute, and I…I don't know…I just don't want to give you up." I said. Then I made a face. "Ick, I sound sappy!" He giggled and nuzzled my cheek with his nose. I grinned wider.

"Alright, that settles it! I'm going to…try and get Hakkai to make Sanzo let em keep you." I said. I pulled my bag out, and placed him inside. "Listen, don't make any noise until I say you can, alright?" I asked. He nodded happily. "Good. Now, no noise, no movement. It'll all be over soon." I said. I picked up the bag and held it so I could support the kid and make it look like I was just holding it. I took a deep breath and walked in the door.

---

**Hakkai's Point of View**

"Maybe I should go out and look for him…" I said quietly. Sanzo grunted and looked out the window in the back of the room where we sat. He glared at the sky.

"No…it's about to rain." he said calmly, though I could sense anger under his words…and worry deeper still. Gojyo made a huffing sound.

"Whatever! I'm going out to go get-" Gojyo was cut off by the door opening. We turned our attention to the door just as Goku walked in looking frazzled. I jumped up as soon as I saw the blood spattered cape in his arms and his blood soaked shirt.

"Goku!" I exclaimed, rushing over to him. "Are you alright? Why is your shirt covered in blood?" I asked, grabbing him by the shoulders. He looked confused for a moment, before realization dawned on his face and he blushed.

"Oh, it's nothing. I killed a monster and it coughed up blood on me. Ew, haha." he chuckled nervously. Then I noticed the bag in his arms.

"Thank goodness! I was so worried…" I said, keeping my eyes on the bag. Gojyo stalked over and grabbed Goku roughly by the arm.

"Bakazaru! What took you so long, huh?!" he snapped. Goku jerked his arm away from Gojyo and glared at him.

"Your cra-" he started, but quickly stopped himself for some reason. "You're stupid map!" he said. I blinked.

'_He's watching his language?'_ I thought incredulously. Gojyo seemed a little surprised as well, as did Sanzo who had skulked over, but he chose to ignore this and continue on.

"Whatever! At least I left you a map!" he snapped. Then the bag caught his eye. "Oh, what'cha got?" he asked, reaching for it. Goku jumped back and swatted his hand away.

"Nothing!" he snapped. Then he turned to Sanzo.

"Um…sorry I'm late and all…but I almost got lost because of Gojyo's map…" he said. Gojyo started fuming, but was ultimately ignored. Sanzo snorted and rolled his eyes.

"Whatever. Next time I'll draw you the map." he said, then he headed upstairs. Goku smiled, obviously taking this as Sanzo's way of apologizing. I smiled too, and patted Goku's shoulder. He turned to me, and to my ultimate shock, he looked completely serious.

"Hakkai, we need to talk. Now." he said. I blinked, and Gojyo stopped fuming in equal shock. I nodded numbly, before leading them both upstairs to my room.

---

**Gojyo's Point of View**

All of us -With the exception of the grumpy monk- Sat in Hakkai's room. I leaned against the wall next to the door, and Hakkai sat next to Goku on the bed. All was quiet for a moment before Hakkai spoke.

"Goku? What is it? Is everything alright?" he asked. Goku stayed quiet, before taking a deep breath.

"Hakkai, when I was looking for food in the forest I found something…a big something…but not really big…just…big. And well, I brought it with me, because it was hurt, and a healer helped it, and then…then…then…I just didn't want to let it go…" he said. Hakkai blinked, then sighed in releif.

"Oh, it that all? Goku don't scare me like that. It's ok if you found a stray dog or something, I'm sure we can stay long enough for you to play with it, but you have to understand, dogs jump out of cars they have to use the bathroom and-"

"Hakkai!" Goku snapped, interrupting. "I didn't find a dog, ok?! I found…" he trailed off, before getting up and placing the bag on the table. He pulled it down and I nearly fell over from shock. Hakkai's eyes widened and his mouth fell open. Goku looked up and smiled weakly at us.

"I, uh, found a baby…and…" he said, trailing off again. I was choking on air so much I didn't hear the footsteps outside the room. Hakkai looked worried.

"Goku, what in the world?! You found a baby, are you sure he wasn't just, you know, lost or something?" he asked worriedly. Goku took on a defensive look.

"No! I found him outside the village in a bush and-" he was cut off by the door slamming open. Sanzo walked in, caught sight of the baby, and froze. Goku, Hakkai, and I all stared at him in shock. The baby blinked in confusion and tilted it's head to the side.

"Nyaah?" it cooed. Goku smiled weakly and wrapped his arms around it's shoulders, drawing it to his chest. Then he looked Sanzo dead in the eyes and asked in a pleading voice…

"Sanzo, can I keep him?"

**To Be Continued…**

**(Oh, you know you hate me right now…)**

**(Do ya feel it? DO YA FEEL IT?!)

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Kat: Wheeeee! That was fun!

Ame: (In shock)

Sanzo: . . . I'M GOING TO KILL YOU!!!!

Kat: Eeep!

Goku: Awwww, he's so cuuuuuute! (Huggles baby, then looks at Sanzo with chibi eyes) Can I keep huh, can I Sanzo, can I?

Baby: (Chibi eyes)

Hakkai: …if I didn't know better, I'd say they WERE related…

Gokyo: Weirder things have, after all, happened!

Kat: Um, reviews will make baby smile!


	3. The Name of the Baby

**Kat: This is a revised version of chapter three. I just corrected my grammer mistakes, nothing else is changed.**

Kat: Uwaaah, sorry for the long wait! Really, really sorry! And, I also apologize this chappie is so short!

**Sweet Child of Mine**

**Chapter 3**

Sanzo sat on the bed, staring at the…_thing_ Goku had on his lap. **It** was looking up at the monkey with wide blue eyes, gurgling happily and pulling at his hair. Goku was smiling at **it** at stroking **its **hair, occasionally stealing nervous glances up at Sanzo. Hakkai was sitting next to Sanzo; tense, obviously ready to intervene should he attack Goku for being such an incompressible idiot. Gojyo was next to Goku, looking down at **it** with some fondness.

'_I never pegged Gojyo as a kid-lover. Then again…'_ Sanzo thought vaguely, staring at the blonde head of the child Goku was holding.

"Goku…" he spoke. Goku's head shot up to look at him fearfully.

"Y-Yes, Sanzo?" he asked. Sanzo stared at _it_ some more, before looking at Goku.

"What were you THINKING?!" he shouted. Goku winced and the baby looked at Sanzo.

"I was thinking that he was all alone and wounded about to die." he said. "So I took him to the doctor. Then…I didn't want to leave him." Sanzo glared at him.

"You do realize I'm not going to let you keep him, don't you? You IDIOT, it's a baby, not a freaking animal! It belongs to someone, and whoever it belongs to wants it back!" he snapped.

"But he was alone and wounded! Sanzo, he nearly died! If anyone wanted this kid they wouldn't have let that happen!" Goku exclaimed.

"Goku, you don't know what happened! You can't say that!" Sanzo shouted.

"Yes I can! I can tell! He's all alone, and I want to take care of him!"

"Goku, you-"

"PLEASE, Sanzo! I want to keep him! He-He _needs_ me!" Goku shouted. "_Please_! Don't…don't make me abandon him…don't make me leave him all alone…" Goku looked down, golden eyes filling with tears. The child looked up at Goku worriedly, before reaching out and petting his hair.

"S'okay…don' kuhyy…" he said. Hakkai smiled at the child.

"I suppose he meant 'don't cry'." he said. The baby glanced up at Hakkai, before crawling out of Goku's arms and toddling over Sanzo. He looked up at the man and tugged on his robes.

"Hey…ff I weave, will he stop kuhyying huh?" he asked. "I don' wan' hi' to kuhyy… he to nice…" Goku looked up at the kid in shock. The baby turned back and smiled at him. Sanzo stood for a moment, before sighing in defeat.

"Don't expect me to take care of him. He's your responsibility now, stupid monkey." he grumbled, slapping a hand to his face. Goku looked up at him, a look of pure unbridled joy in his eyes. And that was the only warning he gave the monk, before launching himself full-force into his arms.

"THANK YOU SO MUCH!!! "He screamed. "THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU SO MUCH SANZO!! " Sanzo growled and shoved Goku off of him.

"Shut up before I change my mind!!" he snapped half-heartedly. Everyone laughed at him, and Goku hugged the boy.

"Oh man, I'm so happy!" he exclaimed. The baby giggled and grabbed his hair. "Ow…oh, whatever, I don't care!" Hakkai smiled.

"So, what's his name?" he asked. Goku fell silent.

"Uh…baby?" A bead of sweat formed behind the other's heads.

"Dude…you don't know his name?" Gojyo asked, picking up a bottle of beer. Goku shook his head.

"I have the clothes I found him in, they're in that bag…" he said, gesturing to the bag on the ground. Hakkai walked over and picked it. He opened it and pulled out a large bloody and ripped black t-shirt, and large bloody ripped orange and black cargo pants, with a matching jacket.

"…Somehow, I don't think these are baby clothes." he said. "Anyway…tags, tags, tags…ah, I found…a thing…" he said holding up what resembled a red tube of lipstick attached to a blue swirl patch that was attached to the shoulder of the jacket. "Hmm…it's not lipstick…so what is it? Well, that's a mystery for another day…Hmm…I found a pouch…full of…weapons. Ok, these must belong to whoever left him there… kunai knifes… shuriken… scrolls… food pills… spike stars… … … Oh my. It seems I've found porno." Gojyo spit out his beer, and Goku nearly dropped the baby. Sanzo raised an eyebrow.

"Well. That's what I call an irresponsible parent." he said. Goku had horrified tears streaming down his face.

"No, what have they put you through?!" he shrieked, hugging the baby tightly. Hakkai laughed and tucked the bright orange book back into the pouch.

"Well, I'd like to meet this child's parents." he said. Gojyo cracked his knuckles.

"Oh yeah, I would too. Exchange parenting tips." Hakkai laughed again. Goku looked at the blonde boy in his arms and smiled.

"Hey…can you tell me your name?" he asked playfully. The child beamed up at him.

"Naaaaruuuuto." he crooned. Everyone blinked.

"Huh?" Goku asked. The baby pointed at himself.

"My...name…is...Naruto. My name is Naruto Uzumaki."

-TBC-

Kat: Soooo sorry it's sooo short! But don't worry, it will get longer! I promise, or I will swallow a thousand needles! (Which sounds painful) The next one is coming up soon, it will be mega longer, and you'll find out why Naruto-kun is a baby-bopper.

Naruto: ...I'M THE BABY?!

Kat: ...YOU DIDN'T KNOW?!

Sasuke: Baka.

Naruto: WHERE DID YOU COME FROM?!

Goku: Uh, he was standing outside the door, and he wouldn't go away...he was scaring away little kids.

Naruto: .

Sasuke: ...

Goku: Is he bothering you?

Naruto: YES!

Goku: YOU!! GET AWAY FROM MY CHILD!! (Attacks)

Kat: I love Saiyuiki-Naruto crossovers! I think I'll make another...

All: (GLARE)

Kat: ...After I get along with this one.


	4. Where's Naruto?

Kat: Sorry to my FAITHFUL readers that I have not updated in so long! Also sorry that I changed my username! To Gabriel Nichole. Bleh bleh bleh. Enjoy, this extremly short chapter. the next one I promise will be longer!!!

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"So...what do babies eat?" Goku asked, bouncing Naruto lightly on his knee. It was morning, a few days after finding out the mystery baby's name, and Goku was with Naruto and Hakkai in the kitchen.

"Babies eat baby food, Goku. But little Naruto is a toddler. So that is irrelevant." Hakkai said, "I'm making him some food right now."

Goku pouted and hugged Naruto. "You see, Naruto? Hakkai can be mean sometimes."

Baby Naruto gave Goku a skeptical look. He petted Goku's nose. "Ss ok, daa daa.," he crooned. "Yer na stoopid."

Goku sighed and leaned back, lifting Naruto above him. "You are too smart for your own good." he admonished the baby.

Naruto gurgled happily and waved his pudgy arms around. "Pane, pane! I'm a pane!"

The door opened to the kitchen and Gojyo walked in. "Oh really? Taking after dear _daa daa_ already?" he joked.

Goku glared at him. "Shut up, you h2o asshole."

"Why don't you, you-"

"You two!" Hakkai admonished loudly. "Don't curse in front of the baby!"

Goku looked down at Naruto; "Sorry, Naru-chan." He picked him up and rubbed their faces together. "I apologize!"

Hakkai smiled as the baby Naruto gurgled happily. But inwardly, he frowned. _Who would harm such a sweet child? And go to such extreme's to do it? I mean, if it was a demon who attacked it, it would make sense, but..._

"Hakkai, what are you thinking of?" Gojyo asked, catching the strange look hidden in Hakkai's eye's.

Hakkai looked up at him, surprised, and let his smile fade a bit. "I was just wondering who could have hurt the child. I mean, Goku, you said that when you found the child, you could smell two distinctive types of blood, right?"

Goku looked up at Hakkai and held Naruto tighter. "Uh, yeah. It was Naruto's blood and someone else's."

"Well, then whoever left him there was wounded as well." Sanzo said from the doorway to the kitchen in Hakkai's room. "Which means there actually might have been three people there."

"Maybe..." Gojyo mused. "We should go back to where Goku found the kid and investigate."

Hakkai nodded. "That may be best." he said. "We might find something out there."

Goku looked down at Naruto, who was watching Hakkai and Gojyo carefully. "...what if he doesn't want you to find anything?" he asked quietly.

Sanzo looked at him. "You say anything, monkey?"

Goku looked up at him a strange expression on his face. "No..." he said. "Just...we should eat first."

Sanzo was silent as he studied Goku's face. "Sure. Let's eat."

--

"What do you mean Naruto's missing?!" Tsunade bellowed.

Sakura and Sai winced. Sai stepped forward. "We lost him on our mission. He ran off to chase after Sasuke who had broken away from the main group, and though we searched high and low, we were unable to find either of them." he explained in his neutral voice.

Tsunade looked angry - scratch that, she looked furious - but her anger slowly melted away into regret, and she slumped down into her seat.

"Lady Tsunade..." Sakura started hesitantly. "Sai and I...we'd like to put together a search team."

Tsunade looked up at them, a serious expression masking her face. "...Explain."

"We'd like to put together a search team, so we can comb the area better." Sai explained, taking up where Sakura had left off. "We might find some clue as to where he went...or whom he went with. Or even...his body." He finished quietly, eyes dulling with each horrid word.

Tsunade's eyes narrowed dangerously. "Are you insinuating that Naruto might be dead?" she asked softly.

Sakura and Sai couldn't meet her eyes. "No..." Sakura whispered. "_We_ don't believe that."

Sai nodded slowly. "He's still out there. I can feel it, but..."

"But what?" Shizune asked, coming up from behind Tsunade's chair. "What is it, Sakura? Sai?"

"...Sasuke..." Sakura said softly, her eyes full of pain. "He told us that...that..." She covered her mouth with her hand.

"He told us that he'd made sure that we'd never find Naruto again." Sai said quietly. "And he threw down Naruto's torn and bloody jacket."

Tsunade hissed low in her throat, and her hands clenched tighter together. "...who do you have in mind?" she asked.

"Well..." Sakura started.

--

"Are you sure it was this bush, Goku?" Hakkai asked politely, pointing to the bush in front of the group.

"Positive!" Goku exclaimed, bouncing baby Naruto on his knee.

"That's what you said about the last eighty bushes, you stupid monkey!" Gojyo snapped.

Goku and Naruto glared at him. "Ba' Go-Jo" Naruto said. "Ba', ba', ba'!"

Goku smirked and hugged Naruto tighter. "Yeah, bad Gojyo!"

Gojyo growled at them both, before he was cut off by Hakkai.

"Wait...let me look." he said calmly. He moved forward cautiously, then peered into the bush. "Nothing." he said finally, shrugging.

"Damnit, Goku!" Gojyo yelled. "Stop leading us around!"

"Do you even remember where you found the baby, monkey?" Sanzo asked harshly.

Goku looked defensive. "Look, I'm sorry! When I found him, I was kind of panicked, and..." he trailed off, a weird look coming over his face. "...There!" he exclaimed, taking off.

"Goku!" Hakkai shouted, chasing after him. Gojyo and Sanzo followed after them quickly.

"Here!" Goku said finally stopping in front of a bush. "This is the bush!" he cried proudly.

The others caught up quickly, and while Goku was preoccupied with the bush, they looked around.

"My god..." Hakkai whispered, looking around with fascinated horror.

The tree's around them were charred and broken. The grass was burnt up and shriveled, and a lot of ground had been upset. There was particularly a giant crater in the area just by the bush Goku had found Naruto in.

"Goku...why didn't you tell us about this?" Gojyo whispered, to awed to insult the boy.

Goku looked around and frowned. "Well...I guess I didn't notice because I was so focused on Naruto." he said slowly.

"Didn't notice my _ass,_ Goku!" Gojyo snapped. "A perpetually blind person would have noticed! God, it looks like a tornado tore through here!"

Sanzo walked over and inspected a tree. "Maybe. If that tornado were made of flames, that is."

Hakkai looked around at the grass. "Yes, the earth does seem a bit charred."

Goku threw up his free arm. "Well, sue me for not inspecting the area! I kind of had other things on my mind!" He tightened his grip on Naruto. "Like, you know, the debris."

Hakkai walked over to him and put a comforting hand on his head. "It's okay Goku." He turned to the others. "Let's get out of here. Before something comes looking for the...debris."

"I think Hakkai is right." Sanzo said. "We need to discuss this elsewhere."

The four all nodded in agreement and left the area.

--

"The team will be made of Sakura, Sai, Kiba, Neji, and Shikamaru." Tsunade said. "Shikamaru will, of course, be in charge. Your objective is one you all mutually want - find Naruto Uzumaki."

The five gathered in Tsunade's office all nodded gravely, the disappearance of their friend weighing heavy on their minds.

"Where were you guys, anyway?" Kiba asked. "Where are we going?"

"You're going to a place called 'China'." Tsunade said. "A hidden village there needed our help with an attack by Sasuke and his brigade. We sent Sakura, Sai, and Naruto to them, and only Sakura and Sai came back."

Shikamaru frowned. "Isn't China across the ocean?"

"Yes, it is. But we have portals in other villages that take us to villages over there. There is one in the Sand Village, for example. I'm sure the Kazekage will be willing to help."

Sakura spared this comment a small smile, and stepped forward. "So...are we to go now?" she asked.

Tsunade nodded. "And be careful...we don't know the terrain in China as well as we want to. And in China...things are very different."

"How different?" Shikamaru asked cautiously.

Tsunade was quiet for a long time, then looked over at Shizune.

Shizune nodded and stepped forward. "You see, children...in China...there are these things called Demons..."


End file.
